Regional Educational Laboratory (REL)
2000-2006
From December 2000 to March 2006, SEDL operated the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL), one of ten laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help low-performing schools and districts improve student achievement, especially in reading and mathematics.
The southwestern region included Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. During its five years of operation, the REL completed an ambitious agenda of research, development, and dissemination initiatives designed to address the following set of priority needs for the region:
- High proportions of student populations and school performing below expectations
- Limited state capacity to support school improvement at the district and school levels
- Limited local capacity to support school improvement
- Lack of research-based information to support the improvement of low-performing schools and districts
- Inadequate teacher and administrator quality
- Inadequate knowledge of how to engage family and communities in supporting student achievement
- Unique challenges faced by rural schools and districts.
Selected Resources
The following selected resources are available through the SEDL store and Electronic Library:
- SEDL's Working Systemically Model, a rational planning process that relies on evidence-based identification of problems and the development, implementation, and monitoring
- Tools for Transition, resources assisting Louisiana and Texas educators in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
- Policy Research Reports on School Finance, research reports of major policy studies
- Insights on Policy Research and Practice, a series of briefing papers on policy research
- Research Syntheses on Family and Community Involvement, four research publications synthesizing the research in family and community involvement with schools, Emerging Issues, New Wave of Evidence, Diversity, and Readiness.